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I don’t think there could be enough earthly description for the kind of impact Lea Salonga and her music has on me. Broadway Superstar and Singing Voice of the two Disney Princesses mentioned in the title, Lea made her fabulous and fierce debut at the Sydney Opera House, Friday night, February 3rd, along with her brother, the magnificent Maestro Gerard Salonga who conducted the astonishing Sydney Symphony Orchestra (That is like too many good things combined already!).

Heads up: there will be no performance snapshots displayed on this blogpost because I simply was not able to take any. Basically, I couldn’t bring my camera (a mirrorless one) out without the security guys assuming that I was recording the performance, as video recordings were not allowed at all. And so I just didn’t bother sneaking it out, not even taking a single photo. Moreover, I do happen to know of Lea’s strong distaste for mobile devices being in use during a performance, whether in a theatre environment or a concert event (especially camera flashes). And this time, I was sitting right in front of the freakin’ stage! First row, ladies and gents! I thought I didn’t wanna ruin someone’s night. So, yep. No phones. But it turns out to be the rightest decision I’ve ever made in a concert setting.

Lea’s performance as always is brilliant and flawless. Her calibre has not ever languished. Her inimitable ability to connect with her audience through song and stories, and her scintillating wit just makes her audience love her more. Her pitch―just impeccable. Her voice―let’s just say that it has the power and the colour that you will never get enough of.

She had a fantastic repertoire, which spans from musical theatre favourites, her Disney classics, of course; and some newly fashioned pop tunes, that once you hear them you’d probably utter, “I never thought that song could sound like that!” She always does this. Last time, she brought Bruno Mars some new flavour. This time, she took a tune from One Direction and a Cyndi Lauper classic, and plainly made them hers.

One of my favourites would be “Another Hundred People” from Stephen Sondheim’s “Company.” Her phrasing and intonation were fastidiously on point as she moves through a very complex melodic trajectory. And man, this was a good opener for a SOH concert, I tell you that.

“I Enjoy Being A Girl” from Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s “Flower Drum Song” is something I’ve always dreamed of hearing live. I have always adored her rendition ever since I saw it on the Broadway Concert DVD. Lots of fun. This song is simply hers.

Her Disney classics have also never failed to grace any occasion. She sang “Reflection” from Mulan, and of course “A Whole New World” from Aladdin, with a very lucky audience member (unfortunately, it wasn’t me). Lea said that she’s oftentimes asked, “Are you more like Princess Jasmine or Fa Mulan?” to which the answer is seemingly obvious according to her. I remember her funny commentaries a few years back in one of her shows I got to see on YouTube somewhere about Mulan’s character identity and bravery, and the fact that she doesn’t need to “have big boobs to save China.”

“Miss Saigon” would never be MIA. She brought her impassioned rendition of “I’d Give My Life For You” and “Too Much For One Heart.” This was shortly followed by a medley of Michel Legrand’s renowned classics, which was ended with “A Piece of Sky” from “Yentl.” It was breathtaking!

Photo by Robert Catto

One of the “new” songs I heard from her (“new” because I’ve actually never heard this piece before, nor have I heard her do it) was “Burn” from Lin Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton.” This has left me dumbfounded. She gave the song and the character who sings it, Eliza, a bit of a background at the beginning, which was pretty dark and dangerous. Then, in a flick, she threw me into that dimension and I was hardly breathing. And I promised myself I’m watching Hamilton after this night!

“Send in the Clowns” did not need any introduction. The mini melodic riff was enough to preface the melody, and emancipate the poignant spirit of the piece. Needless to say, it was a very moving rendition.

Furthermore, her iconic Les Miz pieces would always show up and show out. “I Dreamed A Dream” and “On My Own” sounded as though she was merely breathing through it, but certainly without losing the weight of their respective characterisation. Absolutely phenomenal.

A couple more hits from musicals got the audience euphoric and singing nonstop such as her supposed finale number “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked”, and the unstoppable-unrelenting-unsinkable “Let It Go” from Frozen. She made some funny comments on how parents go through the horror of their kids’ perpetual fondness of this song. Apparently, a lot of people could relate.

Photo by Robert Catto

What I am very happy to witness upfront with my eyes barely blinking, was the way Lea would transform into the different characters each song belongs to, from head to toe. Man, she does it in seconds. And there is so much honesty, so much rawness, so much truthfulness in each one. Aaand she would do it one after the other. How do you become 5 different women on the same stage, in one succession, in one go, with no take twos, in front of an Opera House-sized crowd? Explain that to me.

I mean, she’s all experienced and a master of it by this time, I’m sure. But I still see it as simply “supernatural.” I really got no more to say about that. And I’m sure it’s only one of the many special reasons why she’s considered phenomenal in the world stage.

Also, may I just note that the two overtures were just tremendously remarkable. Kudos to the genius musical arrangements of Maestro Gerard Salonga. Plus, the SSO was truly world-class. I’ve not much more to say, really. So much power. So much artistry.

I also got a list of some songs I was really wishing she would have done (again):

“Still Hurting” from “The Last Five Years”

“He Touched Me” from “Drat! The Cat”

“Nothing” from “A Chorus Line”

“Someone Else’s Story” from “Chess”

“Someone Like You” from “Jekyll and Hyde”

“Two Words”

“The Journey”

The show was nothing short of exceptional. No performance photos or recordings were taken for me. But it made me immerse myself in the whole experience, the Lea Salonga experience. No audio recording or video file could ever capture or duplicate the magic and the brilliance one gets to encounter in her shows. I was fortunate to take it all home, one hundred per cent.

She continues to inspire me to nurture my love for musical theatre. She continues to make me proud to be of Filipino descent. She continues to prove that excellence can be truly achieved with hard work, resilience and consistency, and that longevity in this industry she’s chosen is something you really work hard for and commit to.

All right. I know. I get it. It might be a little too late to be posting about this momentous event. The past couple of weeks have been really busy and demanding on my end. But I thought I’d do it anyway. No dramas.

So, Lea Salonga was in Sydney. (Now I’m thinking I should’ve ended that with an exclamation point). I find it hard to put into words how amazing this encounter was with the ineffable international Broadway star.

I mean, she’s world-renowned and all that. Everybody knows her, and only has the best things to say about her. But seriously, it feels like the right words have not been invented yet to adequately and justifiably describe her artistry and musicality. And I’m not exaggerating.

Hence, I can already tell that this entry will not look like my usual concert “reflections” (not reviews) I normally post on the Artiste.

Basically, it is one of my biggest dream come true. Her singing has always had an enormous impact on me, which up to this day I still struggle to explain.

Her formidable presence, overpowering charisma, and divine vocal prowess just got me. She has knocked me dead in all her glory. If one had ever experienced “eargasm” (or if that were possible in this life and time), I’d say that it’s similar to what I went through during her concert a couple of Saturday’s ago at Sydney Town Hall.

I won’t go into detail anymore. But in essence, the place was packed. She had a live band (of course) headed by Larry Yurman—this guy’s incredible. I should also commend his band for doing a marvellous job (The double bass is the blue frosting on the cake for me!). Lea dubbed them as his “most handsome” musical crew in the progression of her tour.

Lea had a very rich and generous repertoire that includes her gravity-defying renditions of:

Broadway stunners (“I’d Give My Life For You” from Miss Saigon, “Wondering” from The Bridges of Madison County, “Still Hurting” from The Last Five Years, “For Good” from Wicked, “Back to Before” from Ragtime; Les Miz hits, which are mentioned later in the blogpost)

Riveting renditions of Bruno Mars smashers (“Grenade” and “Locked Out of Heaven”)

To some degree, it was a jazz-infused night. Lea started with an old Broadway hit that had also been popularised by Nina Simone, “Feeling Good”, followed by another jazz hit, “You and the Night and the Music”. Lea also did a Nat King Cole classic, “On the Street Where You Live” to start Act 2. My favourite of them all was “He Touched Me”, which I believe is a Barbra Streisand original. That one was just intoxicating.

Now, I am in awe of Lea’s ability to turn a typical jazz song into something extraspecial. Her musical theatre sound and stylistic expression (dynamics, articulation, etc) blend so well with the rudiments of the jazz ensemble, not to mention the proper dose of theatricality. Thus, a colourful and flavourful emulsion of styles and sounds.

The highlights of the night was when she sang two of her Les Miz pieces (yes, she owns them), “On My Own” and “I Dreamed A Dream” by which she gained a thundering ovation from the audience. The characters that convey the two songs (Éponine and Fantine) were relived during that night. It was crazy.

Went with my awesome friend, Gerielle. Photo by Darryl O’Brien

I did say I wouldn’t go into so much detail, but what the heck. It was hard to keep in line. But here’s a mini gallery of my shots. It sucks that camera flash was not allowed in the concert, and my camera takes better shots in that particular setting when the flash is activated. I tried my best to still get good ones.

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I’ll conclude by reposting my actual Facebook status on the night of the concert which I posted during the interlude: